Neurology Center

According to a major new report from Australia, social and family factors associated with autism are associated with a lower risk of intellectual disability - and vice versa. But why? The paper is from Leonard et al and it's published in PLoS ONE, so it's open access if you want to take a peek. The authors used a database system in the state of Western Australia which allowed them to find out what...

The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system with the rest of the body. All motor, sensory and autonomic nerve cells and fibers outside the CNS are generally considered part of the PNS. Specifically, the PNS comprises the ventral (motor) nerve roots, dorsal (sensory) nerve roots, spinal ganglia, and spinal and peripheral nerves, and their endings, as well as a major portion of...

Brain regions that lack a significant blood-brain barrier tend to be midline structures located near ventricular spaces. They include the area postrema, median eminence of the hypothalamus, and neurohypophys...

The blood-brain barrier is not a single barrier, but a composite of many systems that act to control the entry of substances from the blood to the brain: 1. Capillary endothelial cells linked by tight junctions and expressing specialized uptake systems for particular metabolic substrates (e.g., glucose, amino acids) 2. A prominent basement membrane between endothelia and adjacent cells 3. Pericapillary astrocytes with end-feet adjacent to capillaries A similar system exists for the choroidal epithelium...

1. Enhancement of diagnostic possibilities and treatment options 2. More appropriate selection of diagnostic tests and interpretation of test results 3. Prediction of drug side effects and interactions 4. Selection of optimal drug regimens 5. Aid to critical review of novel concepts and therapies 6. Understanding of the rationale for current clinical trials 7. Provision of a background for communicating information to patients and famil...

Here at Neuroskeptic we have closely followed the development of fMRI scanning on fish.But a new study has taken it to the next level by scanning... some cheese.OK, this is not quite true. The study used NMR spectroscopy to analyze the chemistry of some cheeses, in order to measure the effects of different kinds of probiotic bacteria on the composition of the cheese. NMR is the same technology as...

According to the BBC, the British recession and spending cuts are making us all depressed.They found that between 2006 and 2010, prescriptions for SSRI antidepressants rose by 43%. They attribute this to a rise in the rates of depression caused by the financial crisis. OK there are a few caveats, but this is the clear message of an article titled Money woes 'linked to rise in depression'. To get this...